The original Ford Bronco came from a different time. There was always something beautiful about its simplicity. It was a brute animal that didn’t pretend to be anything else. The original Bronco era was a time when we didn’t quite think of things like pollution or unbelievably high gas prices, so we could blissfully enjoy the massive engine chugging away beneath the beastly off-road SUV. Today, of course, things are different. When Ford brought back the Bronco for the 2021 model year after nearly 25 years off the market, the excitement was almost too much to handle. The new Bronco had to be different and fit into this world with better fuel economy and safety features. However, it provides a little connection to a simpler, more adventurous time for many of us.
Now, having been back for a few years, the new generation of the Bronco is working its way into used car dealerships alongside other used SUVs for sale. People are turning in their 2021 models to get the 2024 one, meaning that you could snag a great deal on this pre-owned four-by-four machine. If you find a pre-owned Bronco, particularly with the Sasquatch package, should you get it?
Massive Tires on Beadlock Wheels
You can spot a Sasquatch package right away because the rubber beneath the frame is simply enormous. The Sasquatch package gets huge 35-inch tires. The larger the tire, the better the traction in off-road environments. You can’t help but notice how beefy the tires are on this package. They might not make as much sense for everyday driving, but if you are getting your Bronco to break away from everyday life, these hefty tires are here for it, and they look good, too.
These tires sit atop 17-inch beadlock wheels, another excellent feature for off-road vehicles. Beadlock wheels secure the tire directly to the wheel instead of relying on air pressure to maintain the seal. This enables you to drop to very low air pressures, improving both control and ride quality over rocky, bumpy, beautifully messy off-road surfaces. The meat of what makes a Sasquatch a Sasquatch is those beautiful, giant circles it rolls on.
So Much Ground Clearance You Could Camp Under It
You’ll also notice that a Sasquatch Bronco does what the creature it was named for does: tower over everyone and everything around it. While a standard Bronco gets you an admirable 8.8 inches of ground clearance, the Sasquatch gets you 11.5 inches, nearly three more inches than the standard model. When you’re going down a trail and want the freedom to power right over a set of fallen tree stumps or small boulders, you can (probably) do so with 11.5 inches of clearance beneath your SUV. While you could also camp out underneath the Bronco as well, there are far more comfortable ways to spend a night in the wilderness.
Perfectly Placed Locking Differential Buttons
While Sasquatch sightings are rare, front and rear locking differentials are not rare to the Sasquatch package, being included as part of it. This feature locks both front wheels and/or both rear wheels together, sending all available torque to both sides equally, which is certainly useful in off-road situations. What makes the Sasquatch package special is how you control this feature.
If you look above the touchscreen near the vents, you’ll notice an array of buttons. Those are your locking differential buttons. In serious off-road situations, it’s convenient to reach right there, just below the eye line, to make adjustments on the fly. When these adjustments are closer to the gearshift, you have to take your eyes off the road (or “road” in this situation), which can be needlessly distracting.
High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension
The Sasquatch package will also get you Ford’s proprietary High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system. Its independent front suspension gives you more precise handling and a smoother ride on bumpy roads than traditional off-roaders with live axles front and rear. Taller coil springs all around mean better articulation, which you’ll need when one wheel is on top of a tall obstacle and the other is drooping down low.
Also contributing to a smooth ride are this package’s Bilstein shocks. Many experts consider these to be the best of the best when it comes to absorbing impact on bumpy roads. Heavy-duty Bilstein dampers mean improved stability, both on the trail and on paved roads. You’ll notice these dampers go to work when you’re going slowly on bumpy roads, and fast on paved roads as they reduce body roll in corners. If you love to explore the wild but hate the feel of a wild ride, you’ll love these shocks’ ride-smoothing powers.
Automatic Transmission for an Intimate Ride
Ford admittedly made a mistake when they first released the new Bronco with the Sasquatch package. It was only available with an automatic transmission. Many off-roaders prefer the intimate, precise feel of a manual transmission, but for 2021, you had to skip the Sasquatch package to get one.
However, there are situations where an automatic transmission might be preferable. If you are fairly new to off-roading, not having to shift your own gears allows you to focus on getting over and around obstacles. Plus, you can still choose your own gears by putting the gearshift lever into M for manual mode. It doesn’t provide as direct control as a manual transmission, but offers some of the benefits, and prevents you from being required to change your own gears all the time, as well as use a clutch.
Improved Angles
Do you plan on doing some rock crawling or tackling sand dunes? You’ll appreciate the improved approach, departure, and break-over angles of the Sasquatch. In fact, the two-door models get an increase of roughly eight inches for all of these angles. You get nearly eight inches more for each angle on the four-door models, too, except for the break-over which only improves by about six inches due to the longer wheelbase. If you don’t want to scrape up the bottom of your Bronco but do want the freedom to go from flat terrain and steep hills with little notice, you’ll love these improved angles.
Finding a Sasquatch Package Is as Fortunate as Finding Sasquatch
The truth is that when the 2021 Bronco was new, folks were torn as to whether or not the Sasquatch package was worth it. Some of the upper trims offered much of what the package added, and more, such as a manual transmission. Sometimes the numbers didn’t quite make sense, and springing for a higher trim was the right call.
However, when you shop used, you get the advantage of not having to decide whether or not to pay the full price to add the Sasquatch package. You’re operating in a different market, and the price of your Bronco will be based on many other factors, from mileage to driver history, to perhaps simply how incentivized the dealership is to get the vehicle off its lot to make room for more inventory.
If you can find a used Bronco with the Sasquatch package, do all Bronco lovers a favor and take it for a test drive. You know it will be fun to roam around on those beastly tires, practically able to clear Miatas. The Sasquatch embodies the spirit of the Bronco, and if you are buying this off-road SUV to experience limitless adventures, you might want to have this package. With its massive tires, impressive ground clearance, terrific angles, and the best shocks you could ask for, it’s ready to go out there and get messy.
